The image shown here is one in a series of works on paper entitled cutting corners. We are all susceptible to cutting corners. Doing things that we know aren’t right to profit in some way. Corner cutting can benefit us in small or large ways, but the magnitude of the benefit should never be used to justify or rationalize one’s action. I am sure you have heard the saying, “Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with very much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much.” The reason this holds true is due to how humans habituate cutting corners. It is shocking and concerning how quickly we can normalize a particular corrupt behavior.
Recent studies show that when someone does something they know to be wrong — say lying for financial gain — they will initially feel shame and strong brain activity will be recorded in their amygdala. This is the part of the brain that is thought to regulate, among other things, decision making and motivational behaviors. What is fascinating is that after lying just a few times, say 5-10 times during a workday, the shame disappears, and the activity detected in the amygdala is reduced to zero. We quickly become numb or habituated to the particular activity. We all have the propensity to rapidly normalize our various forms of dishonesty and wrong doing, which should make us all very uncomfortable.
well said David….I love your cut-out images…they exude a type of energy…as if they could just start to open up or move spontaneously…I also like to imagine them as full scale 3-d models…so I suppose there is a vast difference between the title of the image”CUTTING CORNERS” and “corner cutting” as a human attempt to minimize a lie…I’ve also heard LIES BY OMISSION…there is always a price to pay in the long run and eventually we run into walls….seems the world has devolved in to this practice of open lying…where it is so obvious….and people seem quite receptive to the practice….as a political skill that allows for cutting corners to get to desired outcome….devious as it may be…I still believe that there is a price to pay for this behavior and that GOOD WINS in th the long run…it always pays to be positive and hopeful regardless that things seems to be caving in all around 🙂